Question -- I noticed that the elapsed time clock was scrolling through one-minute intervals, and not the normal 10-minute intervals that the webcam uses. How did you get pics every minute to use in this awesome compilation video?

CaT

If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.

The webcam computer/camera setup takes a picture every minute. But only uploades every fifth picture to the internet.

For every 1-minute picture taken, it creates a smaller-sized image for the video, and stores it in a folder on the computer. At the end of the day, the SebecTec software automatically makes a video from those.

It took me quite a while to create a DOS script to keep track of which picture in the sequence was being processed.

I'd really like to take a picture every 15 or 20 seconds and try making a video from that. Even the one-minute video is jumpy with the moving clouds.

If anyone is interested, here's the 11 MB .avi video file of the above video. Due to its size, I'm not sure how long I'll leave it on the website.

I was off-line for several days, so I called Russ at the museum. He had checked the line to the router and modem, and all checked out ok. So he pulled the computer out of its hiding place in the base of the tower, and opened up the case.

Inside the case, a mouse had taken up residence, gaining access through an uncovered expansion slot. The nest was built right on top of the cooling fan and communications card, and there was a lot of mouse droppings inside, too.

Russ took on the unfortunate task of cleaning up the mess, and upon reassembling it all, the webcam is back on line!

Oh, and the expansion slot is now sealed with aluminum tape.

...and now a power failure on Friday stopped the Williamson webcam. The camera needs it's power button pressed to bring it back on-line -- an easy task once you open up the box it is in.

So, our webcam computer housing a mouse ... is that what you call a mouse pad???

CaT

If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.

OMG!! I am laughing so hard!!! I was thinking of something in a slightly darker vein, but, I love it!!

I have another one -- how 'bout "Leader" and "Legend"? (If you're not a college football fan, that won't mean anything to you.)

Also, CaT would be happy to comply with mouse removal duty -- just move him to California!

CaT

If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.